Juno Marie asked me to do a blog post on if we get stared at in Korea or Australia and if we find it awkward.

I was trying to think of a comic to do for this, or at least a picture but all it would consist of is a drawing of people staring at us… so not that interesting. So this blog post will just be an extra one instead and there will still be a normal comic on schedule.

We do get stared at in Korea and Australia. In Korea we get stared at by Koreans and in Australia we get stared at by……….Koreans. Okay, sometimes it’s other people but the majority of stares are from Koreans. I understand why though. In Australia an interracial couple isn’t that unusual, an Asian man with a Western woman is a little bit different but it’s not enough for Australians to blatantly stare (unless it’s a really rural white area).

However, in Korea it’s a very homogenous population so they are just not used to seeing a relationship that is a bit different. I feel more uncomfortable in Korea, because it’s not my home country and I get stared at even without my husband. Sometimes the way people stare feels a bit like being famous without any of the perks of being famous. In Australia, no matter who is doing the staring, I don’t care, because it’s my country.

When we meet Koreans in Australia (and I mean Koreans IN Australia, not Korean Australians) they usually comment on our relationship with something like, “You are an unusual couple!” They can be quite shocked (not necessarily in a bad way) that I’m Australian and married to a Korean man. Australians may find it interesting that my husband is Korean but it’s hardly shocking to them.

Korean guys stare at us the most I think. What they are thinking about, I can only guess at though. Koreans on student visas and working holiday visas tend to just live and work with other Koreans and stay in the Korean community so even while they are here in Australia, it’s unusual for them to see a Korean guy with a non-Korean.

So in conclusion, yes we do get stared at a bit in Australia. In Korea we definitely get stared at, but a lot of my time in Korea has been spent in my husband’s home town which is very rural area with no white people. When we live in Korea for a few years I’ll see what the difference is between the more rural areas and the cities.

I just try to brush it off and ignore it for the most part, especially when I realise most times people aren’t doing it to be rude, but are just a bit curious.